Divided We Fall
by Lioness-Goddess
Summary: During a heavy fight with the Foot, Leo is seriously injured. While he and his brothers cope, Oroku Saki decides to strike.
1. 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the ninja turtles monkey-butt.

_Leonardo was walking through the rain. Squinting behind his bandanna, he noticed he was at the farmhouse. Leo could just barely make out four figures standing around in a circle, looking at something…. _

Leonardo's eyes shot open and he sat straight up in his bed. Breathing heavily and looking around, he tried to remember what made him wake up. He had been dreaming…about something…

Leo shook his head and raised his arms over his head, stretching. He couldn't remember. It didn't matter anyway. Glancing at his alarm clock, the red numbers flashed 5:30. He was up half an hour early. _Oh well. Maybe I can get some peace and quiet for a change. _

Climbing out of his bed, Leo tied on his bandanna. Yawning, his eyes fell on his katanas, in their proper place in the corner of his room. He considered for a moment, and then decided not to strap them on his back like he usually did. He didn't need to have them all the time.

Leaving his katanas to gather dust in the corner, Leo walked into the kitchen and filled a pot with water to begin to make tea. He groaned as he heard the faint sounds of thunder echo through the sewers. Thunder meant rain, and rain meant his brothers getting on each other's nerves, including his. He sighed, and made a simple goal to keep his temper in check today.

Leo's sharp ears picked up the sound of someone approaching, but he ignored it. It was either Splinter or his brothers. Turning around, Leo found he was right. Mikey stumbled into the kitchen.

"You're up early," Leo commented. Mikey was known for his need to sleep in late whenever possible. The only person who could ever upstage him was Raph.

"Couldn't sleep," Mikey yawned. "Thunder woke me up."

"Oh." Leo knew perfectly well the sound of thunder scared his little brother, but he decided not to push it. If they were going to be stuck in the lair all day, he might as well not start off with someone mad at him already.

"Good morning, Leonardo," came another voice from the doorway, as Master Splinter stepped into the room as well, not looking the least bit tired.

"Morning, sensei," Leo said respectfully.

"Mor'ing 'ensei" Mikey greeted his father through a yawn.

Splinter looked to Mikey, amused. "You are up early, Michelangelo."

"Thunder woke me up," Mikey said, this time embarrassed. He had shown up in Splinter's room many times when he was younger whenever there was a thunderstorm.

Splinter said nothing, but the amused look remained. "I am aware of the storm," he said. "So I must encourage you all to stay in the lair for today." Ignoring Mikey's groan, Splinter continued. "Leonardo, please keep your brothers from…pissing each other off too much."

Leo smiled at his sensei's attempted use of slang, and then bowed. "Yes, Master Splinter."

Soon enough, Donatello and Raphael had joined them in the kitchen.

"Man, the storm is really going out there," Don commented.

"Yeah," Mikey said nervously.

"Mikey, don't tell me you're still afraid of thunderstorms! They can't hurt ya!" Raph exclaimed.

Mikey said nothing, but jumped about a foot in the air when an extra large crack of thunder boomed.

Raph began laughing. "You're really still scared of 'em?"

"Lay off, Raph," Leo said calmly, looking up from the book he was reading at the table. Raph glared at Leo, but didn't say anything else.

Soon breakfast was over, and everyone had drifted off to do their own thing. Leo was still immersed in his book, Don had disappeared into his room, and Mikey and Raph were currently watching a football game.

"What? NO! C'mon, don't do that, you idiot!" Raph jumped up and shouted at the television screen as someone in the favored team did something dumb.

Mike laughed, pulling his legs up onto the couch so he was sitting cross-legged. "Raph, no matter how loud you yell, the magical people in the TV can't hear you."

Raph grumbled something, and sat back down.

Leo smiled behind his book. So far this rainy day hadn't been going too badly…but it wasn't even lunchtime yet. Speaking of which…

Leo looked at the VCR clock. It was about 11:45. "Hey Mikey, you wanna go get lunch started?"

"Yeah sure!" Mikey exclaimed, eager to have something to do.

While Mikey banged around in the kitchen, Leo decided to go get Don. He knew that by the time he pulled him out of his lab, lunch would be ready.

Leaning in the doorway of Don's room, Leo watched his brother tinker with something for a minute…looked like Mikey's shell cell. Leo shook his head. Mikey always found a way to break something.

"Donnie?" Leo said softly.

"Yeah?" came the answer. Don didn't even look up.

"Lunch."

"Okay…"

Leo shook his head and left. By the time Donatello remembered what he had said, lunch would be ready and halfway over.

Upon re-entering the living room, Leo caught sight of Raph heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Leo asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

"Out. Ya gotta problem with that? It's Saturday."

Leo rolled his eyes. Saturday was the day Splinter gave them a break and let them do anything they wanted. Usually.

"I know what day it is. Splinter said not to go out."

"I'll be fine."

"Raph, there's a storm out there!"

Raph glared at Leo. "I'm just goin' to Casey's!"

"Splinter said STAY HERE." Leo couldn't help stressing the last part. He knew he was doing it again, being 'Splinter Jr.' as his brothers called it. And he didn't care. He wasn't about to let one of his brothers get hurt, no matter how annoying.

"Leo, I know what Splinter said. The storm's probably blown itself out already. I'll be okay."

"Raph! Stay."

"I'm not a dog, Leo, and ya can't tell me what to do!"

"Raph, it's raining. Tell me, how are you going to get to Casey's without being seen?"

"Rooftops."

Leo held up his hands. "Exactly! It's raining! The roofs are slippery! What if you fall or something?"

Raph's look of anger softened a little bit, but didn't go away. "I'm going out Leo."

Raph started to leave, but Leo stepped forward and grabbed his arms. "Raph…" he started to say, but Raphael didn't give him a chance.

Jerking his arm away from Leo, Raph stepped closer to the door. "Jus' leave me alone, oh Fearless Leader." And he was gone.

At that point, Mikey had grabbed up the remote Raph had abandoned, and flipped to the news.

"-Citizens are cautioned to stay inside, increasing winds-" Mikey turned it off, and both he and Don looked to Leo.

"So…now what?" Mikey asked.

Leo looked at the floor, then went into his room, coming back a few minutes later with his katanas. "We go after him."

-

"Master, the ninjas you requested await you in the main lobby."

Oroku Saki sneered behind his desk. "Excellent…deploy them to here, here, and here," he said, pointing to certain places on a map.

"And remember. Any information comes directly to me."

"Yes, my lord."

Saki frowned as his messenger left the room. His plan would not fail.


	2. 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the ninja turtles.

Leonardo jumped, leapt and ran over rooftops of buildings, freezing rain biting his skin. Glancing behind him briefly, Leo noticed Donatello was starting to pant, while Michelangelo was already gasping for breath.

Leo felt a little bad about pushing them this hard, but they needed to practice more anyway. Well, Mikey did at least. "Just a little more, guys." He said. "We're almost at Casey's."

Leo looked up at the dark and cloudy sky, hoping that Raph was safe at Casey's, they would meet up with him, Leo would berate him for leaving, and then they would ride the storm out together. Something told Leo that would not be the case.

A quick glance told Leo that his brothers had pretty much caught their second wind. "Okay. Let's keep going," Leo said.

Mike and Don nodded, and they began their display of acrobatics across the New York skyline once more.

-

April O'Neil groaned in frustration as she dropped her keys on the ground in front of her apartment building. Bending down carefully so as not to drop the three full grocery bags she was holding in the crook of her left arm, she began groping around on the ground for her keys.

Something whooshed past her ear, and April stood up quickly, causing a pint of ice cream to fall from one of her bags. _That'll teach me to go off my diet, _she thought ironically, picking up the now useless ice cream.

Nervously moving to the alley to dispose of it properly in a dumpster, the same shadow whooshed past her again. "Casey?" She called out timidly. "Is that you? Leo, Don, Mike? Raph? Is that you guys?" No one answered, and the creepy feeling of fear crept into her mind.

Setting her grocery bags on the front step of her building, April carefully hid herself behind the stoop, waiting for the shadow to come again. With all her senses on alert this time, April caught the faint sound of someone walking lightly through gravel.

Looking around frantically, April caught sight of a large rock. She picked it up and lobbed it at the source of the noise. It connected with a 'thunk' and some mild cursing was heard. April stayed hidden, holding her breath. Finally the figure stumbled into the cast-off from a streetlight, and April had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping and giving away her position.

It was a man (at least she thought it was a man; it was hard to tell with the masks) wearing a black uniform with the red Foot insignia.

April swallowed, she didn't feel safe with the Foot so close to her apartment. Locating a manhole cover in the middle of the alley, she crept closer to it, and was about to open it when the Foot soldier began speaking. There was no one around, so she assumed he held a walkie-talkie of some sort.

"-Three of the turtle creatures are heading towards 15th and Eastman. There have been no sightings of the red one." There was silence for a minute, and then, "I will follow."

April stood stone still until the man had moved away, then scrambled down the manhole, her groceries left forgotten on the step.

-

Leonardo stopped for a moment, shaking the rain out of his eyes. A steady downpour had started five minutes ago. "Raph!" he called, but his voice was carried away by the wind.

They had been at Casey's, Raph had never shown up. Don had tried calling his shell cell, to no avail. Raph had disappeared.

"Where the shell is he," Mikey grumbled. "I'm cold!"

Don gave Mikey a look, and shook his head, shaking the rain out of his eyes as well.

"We're all cold, Mikey," Leo said, "But we have to find Raph before the storm gets worse." Mikey didn't say anything, just grumbled some more.

"Let's at least get out of this rain, Leo," Don suggested.

Leo sighed, he wanted to continue looking for Raphael, but Mikey had started shivering. Leo decided it would probably be best if they at least got out of the rain, if not somewhere warmer.

"Alright, come on."

The three turtles leapt single file into the abandoned water tower where each of them holed up sometimes when they wanted to be alone.

"N-now w-what d-do w-we d-do?" Mikey asked through chattering teeth, as he and Don watched Leo pace back and forth.

"We have to keep looking," Leo stressed.

"But what if he's back at the lair already?" Don asked quietly. Leo stopped dead in his tracks and stared at his brother. It was so obvious, yet he hadn't thought of it until Donatello brought it to his attention.

"I…I didn't even think of that," Leo admitted. "Alright. We'll go home, but if he's not there, we'll keep looking, okay?"

Don nodded. "Okay, but seriously Leo, chill."

Leo was lost in his own thoughts again, but his brothers could make out a mumbled, "I can't." Leo shook himself out of his reverie. _At least we'll be somewhere warmer_, he thought, as he led the way out of the water tower.

-

April wrapped her hands around the steaming mug of tea Splinter had given her. It felt good, the sewers were chilly. "So none of them have come back yet?" April asked.

"No," Splinter sighed, his whiskers twitching in annoyance. "Although I warned them all to stay inside today."

April felt sympathy for the old rat, and was glad that she had no kids, for the time being. Sometimes she felt like she had four. _Five, including Casey,_ April smiled to herself.

April and Splinter both looked up at the sound of the lair's metal door slamming open. Raphael stepped through the hole, soaking wet.

"Man, it's really goin' out there," he commented, then caught sight of April on the couch. "Oh, hey Ape."

Wincing at the nickname, April stood up. "Hey Raph," she greeted him back, "Where are your brothers?"

A look of confusion crossed Raph's face. "Aren't they here?"

Splinter chose this time to step forward, his cane tapping on the concrete floor. "I believe they have left to look for you, Raphael. I believe they thought you were at Mr. Jones' residence?"

"Shit…" Raph muttered, then mumbled 'sorry' at the look his sensei gave him. "I was gonna go to Casey's, but it started rainin' so I came back…I'd better call 'em."

Raph pulled out his shell cell and hit the speed dial for Mikey's phone.

-

Mikey knelt at the edge of a rooftop, while Leo and Don discussed something. Mike wondered briefly if he should be included in the discussion, but dismissed it. Anything they said would probably go over his head anyway.

Suddenly one of the shadows Mikey was staring at moved. Mikey blinked and looked again. Squinting hard, he saw nothing. "Huh…" he muttered. "Weird."

Something struck the back of his shell, and he whipped around. Six Foot ninja surrounded him. Looking through their legs, he could see Don and Leo engaged in battle as well.

"Ya wanna play?" Mikey asked innocently. "Okay." He drew his nunchucks. "Let's play."

-

Leo's sword clanged against the yari of his opponent. His eyes narrowed, there was something different about the fighting style of the ninjas they faced. Could Shredder have actually taken the time to personally train a select few?

Leo shook his head as he dispatched the Foot with the yari and circled around one with a katana, dismissing the thought. Shredder was egotistical and a maniac. He would never personally train these ninjas…maybe the Elite did it…

Lost in his own musings, Leo quickly got rid of all six of his adversaries. Looking upward to the higher lever rooftops, he noticed four men. Four men with flat hats…_speak of the devil. _Taking his eyes off the four Elite for a moment, Leo quickly glanced to where his brothers were. Don had gotten rid of all his enemies, and Mikey was struggling with two.

Leo made a move to help Mikey, but was cut off by suddenly being surrounded by Elite. A low growl escaped Leo's throat. "What…do…you….want!" Leo gasped, as he dodged, ducked, punched, and occasionally got a hit in with his katana. The silent Elites said nothing, but continued to attack.

Leo noticed with a shock that they were driving him backwards. Towards the edge. He faintly heard Mikey's voice calling him, but he ignored it, focusing on staying alive.

He rammed forward a few steps, but was driven back. Letting out a frustrated yell, he leapt, but the Elite swished out of the way like a wave, surrounding him once more when he had landed.

Breathing hard, Leo glared at every single one of them. As if that could help anything.

After blocking one more attack from a staff, Leo felt the back of his foot slip, and he could hear a few loose pieces of gravel fall to the pavement hundreds of feet below.

"LEO!"

This time it wasn't a vague noise, Leo could distinctly hear Donnie calling him. He blinked in shock as Mike and Don rushed in, each taking an Elite headlong, leaving Leo with two.

One of the Elite aimed a kick at Leo's chest, which sent him stumbling backwards…off the edge.

As soon as he was falling, Leo stuck a hand out and grabbed onto the edge of the building, swinging his body against the side with a 'thud.' Swinging himself slightly, Leo managed to get his other hand onto the edge as well. He hung there, refusing to let go. His legs scrabbled on the side of the building, but not one brick was out of place. There was no place for him to get leverage. Leo got a better grip on the edge, and looked up.

An Elite stood above him, grinning. Leo realized this was the first time he had ever seen any part of their face, besides their eyes.

Leo hung helpless, but continued to glare at the Elite. The Elite raised his katana.

-

Don looked up as he finally got rid of the Elite he had been working on for the last five minutes, and he saw Mikey had done the same. Scanning the rooftop, Don noticed there was something wrong. Leo was missing.

Frantically searching, Don remembered that last he had seen Leo, he was being driven back to the edge. Don felt his heart sink as he ran to the edge of the building. If Leo wasn't on the top of the building…then he was probably on the ground…and the probability of anyone surviving a fall from this height was-

Don shook his head, pushing the thought from his mind. He turned around just in time to see the Elite raise his katana, and bring it down with a large 'whump.'

Don felt sick, that noise was one he was familiar with…the sound of flesh being separated from the body. He ran to the Elite, and without thinking, pushed him over the edge. Mikey said later that that was the only time he had heard an Elite scream.

Don knelt at the edge, and was relieved to see his brother firmly hanging onto the building. The sinking feeling returned, however, when he noticed Leo was unconscious. The biggest damage done to Leo though, made Don gag. Leo's hand was missing.

"MIKEY! Come over here!" Don called.

Mike came over from where he had been tying up the left over Foot who hadn't been killed. "What…oh my god."

"Come on, help me get him up here," Don ordered, taking over the role of leader, at least for the moment.

Together Don and Mikey pulled Leo onto the rooftop – Don marveled at Leo's ability to hang onto the building even while unconscious.

Suddenly Mikey's shell cell went off. He moved away from Don and Leo a few feet to answer it while Don tried to temporarily stop the blood flow coming from Leo's arm.

"H-hello?" Mikey's voice was shaky.

"Mike? What's wrong?" It was Raph. Mikey almost breathed a sigh of relief.

"Raph, we need help. Get here right now."

On the other end, Raph was shocked. He had never heard Mikey sound so serious.

"Okay, Mikey. Where are you?"

As soon as Mikey gave Raph the location, he hung up and scrambled over to where Don was kneeling next to Leo.

Upon seeing the extent of the damage, Mikey turned away and threw up. He felt a hand on his shoulder; he didn't need to turn to know it was Don.

The roaring of a motorcycle caused both of them to look up, and Mikey ran to the edge while Don stayed with Leo.

"Raph! Raph, we're up here!" Mikey called, waving to his brother on ground level.

"Okay Mike, what the hell's the-" Raph stopped short, seeing Leo. "Holy shit."

"We need you to help us carry him down from here," Don said calmly, as if nothing ever happened.

Raph nodded in shock, and mechanically moving around to help out Mikey and Don.

-

April nervously tapped her fingers on the coffee table. Raph had left in a hurry, saying there was an emergency. She swallowed, she had a feeling something was extremely wrong.

Her fears were confirmed when Raph, Don and Mikey came in, carrying an unconscious Leo. However, when they turned to bring him to the infirmary, April noticed something was wrong, something was missing…Leo's hand was missing. April gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.

Splinter appeared calm on the outside when he saw Leonardo, but the twitching of his ears, whiskers and tail gave him away otherwise. April sank onto the couch as they all disappeared into the infirmary room.

-

The first thing Leo registered was pain. _Well that's good. _He thought. _At least I'm not dead. Unless I'm in Hell. That would be just my luck. _

Leo groaned, and tried to open his eyes. At first he panicked when all he saw was blackness, but then he realized he hadn't opened his eyes yet.

Chuckling a little at his mistake, Leo forced his eyes open, but stared at the ceiling, too tired to move his head.

"Hey Leo." It was Don. Of course it was. It was always Don. The family doctor.

"Donnie?" Leo was amazed at how weak his voice sounded.

"That's me," Don said. "Um…how do you feel?"

Leo grinned slightly. "Like I was hit by a truck five times over." Leo could hear Don moving around in the room, and heard his soft laughter.

"Well I wouldn't be surprised. I have to go get some things and talk to April. I'll be right back." Don's voice disappeared.

"Hey bro." A new voice joined Leo in the room. Mikey.

"Hey Mike." Leo acknowledged. "Hey, did we ever find Raph?"

"He was at home the whole time," Mikey muttered darkly, surprising Leo a little, and making him wonder how long exactly he had been out of it.

"So, is the ceiling really that interesting?" The joking Mikey was back, after that brief moment of darkness.

Leo scoffed. "No, I can't move my head, ding dong." He heard Mikey laughing, and then felt a pressure behind his shell. Mikey was pulling him into a sitting position. Once sitting, Leo smiled. "Thanks Mikey."

Mikey looked nervous. "No problem."

Leo cocked his head. "What?"

Mikey's eyes widened. "Uh, nothing."

Leo raised an eyeridge, and then dismissed it. "Whatever." Looking down to his right side, he noticed his hand was totally covered in bandages and things.

"What happened to my hand?" Leo asked curiously. He tried to wiggle his fingers, to see if it would hurt. Nothing happened. "And why can't I feel it?"

Mikey audibly swallowed. "You lost it, Leo."

Leo blinked, not comprehending. "What?"

"Your hand. You lost it. It's gone. The Elite chopped it off…" Mikey trailed off, unsure of his choice of words.

Leo sat in wide eyed shock. "Mikey…I think…I want to be alone now." Mike nodded, and disappeared out of the room.

Leo stared at his arm. No hand. No nothing. He was a swordsman, how was he supposed to handle the double katana now? How would he be a master of ninjitsu like Master Splinter. How how how.

Leo finally tore his eyes away from the hand he no longer had. Staring at his katanas, which someone had rested against the wall, Leo did something he hadn't done for years.

He cried.

-

A/N: Well, I am pretty proud of myself. Everybody has their demon turtle, and mine happens to be Leo. The remedy? Write a story about him, duh! I really have no practice at writing Leo, so sorry for any character mistakes and whatnot. And I have this feeling I should be running from the Leo fans about now…


	3. 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the ninja turtles.

Oroku Saki glared at the four Elite standing before him. "You were supposed to simply follow the turtles and observe at this point. None of them were to be injured." Leaning back slightly, the Japanese man continued to stare at his henchmen.

"Do not fail me the next time." He said quietly. "Or the consequences will be dire. Did you at least follow through with your original order?"

The Elite nodded, bowed, and vanished. Saki steepled his fingers and stared out the window. Except for the slight mishap, everything was going smoothly. Good…Saki smirked. Although he had not intended for Leonardo to be so seriously injured so soon, it could easily be worked to his advantage.

Mikey groggily looked up from his bed, squinting in the early morning darkness. He blinked, the Superman clock on his wall read 6:00 a.m.

_That's weird_, Mikey thought, yawning and putting his head back down. _I could have sworn-_

Scrape. Scrape.

Mikey sat straight up. That scraping noise was what had woken him up. Throwing back the covers, Mikey listened carefully.

Scrape. Scrape.

There it was again. Mikey yawned again, and stepped out of bed, listening for the scraping sound to come again so he could locate it.

Scrape. Scrape.

The noise sounded like it was coming from the dojo. Starting to feel like he was in a horror movie, Mikey silently moved around into the living room, heading towards the dojo.

Mikey frowned as he came to the door of the dojo, he could see a light on under the crack. That couldn't be right, no one was up yet. The only person who was ever up this early was-

Mikey's eyes widened with realization as he pushed the door open.

Leo stood in the middle of the mat, holding one of his katanas in his good hand. His back was to Mikey, and he didn't notice him.

Mikey felt a sudden pang of…something, sadness maybe, as he watched Leo struggle with the heavy weapon. He could tell he was trying to raise it to a battle position.

Leo could usually hold a katana with one hand with no trouble, but since he had been so thoroughly beaten yesterday, Mikey guessed his strength wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Mikey winced as Leo managed to get it to his middle at least, and then attempt to do a few practice swings.

After watching his brother struggle with the sword for five more seconds, Mikey spoke up. "You shouldn't be up, Leo." He said quietly.

"Nothing happened to my legs, Mike." Leo said just as quietly, turning around to face his brother.

Mikey shook his head. "No, but-"

They both jumped as the lone katana clattered to the floor, having slipped out of Leo's grip. "Leave me alone, Mikey," Leo said softly.

Mike took a step forward. "But, Leo, I-"

"Go away, Mikey."

Mikey was shocked. Leo had never spoken to him so coldly before.

"Fine." Mikey said, almost sadly. "Just don't overwork yourself."

Leo watched the back of Mikey's shell leave, and winced as pain shot up his arm. He must have torn a muscle or something, hanging onto the building. He knew perfectly well that he shouldn't even be up yet, let alone trying to practice. But he had to. He didn't have a choice.

Leo sighed as he picked up the katana once more, this time without trouble, and stared at it. He wouldn't let his brothers get into fights without him, it was too dangerous.

Leo knew if anything serious were to happen to him, either Raph or Don would take over as leader. But he wasn't willing to let that happen just yet. This wasn't serious; this was a minor obstacle he had to overcome, like his fear of heights when he was little. _What am I saying? _Leo thought. _This isn't minor like a phobia that can be fixed…I can't grow back a new hand like a tree!_

Giving up practicing for the moment, Leo walked over to the weapons rack, and placed his katana in their place. He smiled when he saw the bo and the sais in their places as well, but with Mikey's nunchucks hanging messily over the edge of the shelf. Shaking his head, Leo moved the 'chucks to their proper place, and left the room.

Don woke with a start and fell out of his bed with a 'thud,' as the alarm clock went off.

"Ugh…" For a minute, Don didn't remember what happened, and then everything came rushing back to him. Quickly pulling on his bandanna, Don stumbled out of his room into the kitchen.

Raph and Mikey were already awake. So were Master Splinter and April, who were sitting at the kitchen table.

"Hey April…" Don felt a blush rising, he hadn't realized April had stayed the night.

"Sorry," April said apologetically. "I just didn't feel safe in my apartment with the Foot so close."

"It is alright, Miss O'Neil," Splinter assured her. "We would prefer you were safe." April nodded, and looked down at her feet.

"Leo still sleeping?" Don asked. He was met with an uncomfortable silence. Raph and Mikey exchanged glances.

Don noticed this and raised an eyeridge.

"Okay, he's not sleeping. Where is he?" Raph looked at the table. Don sighed. "Mikey?"

"We…don't know." Mikey answered finally.

Don, Splinter and April exchanged surprised glances. "You…don't know." Don repeated quietly.

Mikey shook his head. "He was in the dojo this morning, but I left, and I thought he'd be in the kitchen but he wasn't and I mean, Don, it's Leo, and he wasn't in his room…"

Don held up a hand. Whenever Mikey got flustered he would start to babble. "Slow down, Mike. He probably just went down one of the tunnels or something to….to….uh…well, do something." Don sighed and picked up his bo staff. "I'll go look for him."

"Donatello." Splinter spoke up. "If you do happen to find Leonardo, perhaps you could talk to him before he comes back."

Don nodded. "Okay, sensei." Shaking his head, Don left.

"Dude," Mikey said, "Where d'ya think he went? I mean, he was here this morning."

Raph shrugged. "I dunno. But if he starts actin' like me, I'm gonna be scared."

Mike grinned. "Why Raph? Because then you'll have to act like him?"

Raph growled and pounced on Mikey, April and Splinter watching, amused.

"Perhaps you two should get out of the house for a while," Splinter said.

Mike and Raph looked at each other. To them that meant, 'Go topside and have major fun!'

"Okay, sensei." They said in unison, before starting a race through the sewers. "No way, Raph!" Mikey's voice floated back in. "Kiss my protective shell!"

Splinter sighed and looked to April. "Teenagers."

Leo sloshed through the sewers, not really doing much, just thinking. He whipped around taking a defensive stance as he heard footsteps behind him.

"Leo, chill, it's me." Don's voice came around the corner, soon followed by its owner.

Leo dropped the stance and stood staring at his brother. "Well?"

Don blinked. "Well what?"

"Aren't you going to tell me to get back to the lair because I shouldn't be out here?"

Don grinned. "Well, yes, that's what I was _going_ to do. But now that you put it that way, I guess I won't. You look like you're doing okay anyway."

Leo shrugged. "As good as can be expected."

"Aren't you hungry?"

Leo cocked his head. "Huh?"

"I said, aren't you hungry. Leo, the last meal you ate was yesterday at breakfast. That's twenty four hours without eating…I think you need to eat _something_."

"Is this your way of trying to get me back to the lair?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Leo smiled. "Well it's working. I'm really hungry."

Don looked confused. "Then why didn't you come to the breakfast table?"

Leo shrugged and looked away. Don took this as a sign to shut up. "Well, come on." He said. "Mikey saved some pancakes for you anyway."

Leo nodded, and started to follow him, but stopped suddenly. Don looked back. "What?"

"I could feel it this morning." Leo said quietly.

Don raised an eyeridge. "Your hand?" Leo nodded. Don shrugged. "It's not a big deal Leo, it's called a ghost limb. It happens to a lot of people."

"Yeah, I-" Leo started, but was cut off by the voices of his brothers.

Don looked at him. "Splinter must've kicked them out."

"Hey Leo!" Mikey said cheerfully, coming around the corner, Raph following. They were both breathing hard from playing tag.

"Hey." Leo answered, not really in the mood for talking anymore. Leo looked around. Something seemed wrong, but he couldn't place it. He didn't want to bring it up, Leo knew that Raph would jump all over him for being paranoid.

"So…did ya want some breakfast?" Mikey asked. "'Cause I-" He was interrupted by a large explosion, shaking the tunnels and causing all four turtles to lose their balance.

All four of them curled up and covered their heads by instinct. They waited for twenty minutes before the tunnels stopped shaking and large pieces of debris and concrete stopped falling.

Raphael was the first to look up. Through the dusty air, he could make out the shells of Don and Leo. Standing up slowly so he could be sure nothing was going to fall on him, Raph made his way over to his brothers and lightly tapped on their shells.

Don peeked out from under the crook of his arm, and seeing Raph, stood up slowly as well, Leo following suit. "Where's Mike?" Leo asked, squinting to see through all the dust the explosion had kicked up.

"I dunno." Raph said. "Couldn't find the little oddball."

Don slowly looked around, shoving up large pieces of concrete to make sure his little brother wasn't under them. On second glance, Don noticed a large wall of rock and concrete that had formed from falling debris. He walked over to it and pulled at a good sized rock, using his bo for leverage, until it gave way and fell to the ground.

Don could hear a slight groan coming from the other side. "Mikey? Mike?" He called softly, but apparently Mike had been hit on the head with something, because he wasn't responding. Don cringed as he noticed one of Mikey's legs was twisted in a very odd angle. "He's over here," Don called to his brothers, who immediately stopped their search and came over to the barrier.

"C'mon," Leo said, moving with both his arms to retrieve his katanas from his back, and froze, remembering he only carried one katana now. Putting everything else but getting through the wall out of his mind, Leo drew the katana with his good hand, and began pushing and pulling away at the wall, Don and Raph doing the same soon after.

After about five minutes they had made a good-sized hole, big enough for them to fit through one at a time. Don went first to check on Mikey. "How's it look, Don?" Leo asked.

"Not so good." Don answered. "Looks like he has a minor concussion and a broken leg…or at least a twisted leg."

"Where'd that explosion come from, anyway?" Raph asked. "There haven't been workers down here for ages."

"I don't know," Leo said, "But it sounded like it was coming from the direction of…." Leo paled. "The lair."

Raph's eyes widened. "Splinter."

Leo nodded. "And April…"

Raph made a move to run to the lair, but Leo caught his arm. "We need to help Donnie first."

Raph nodded, although he would rather leave Don with Mike and go and make sure everyone at the lair was alright.

"You know," Don said,unawareof the conversation going on between his two older brothers, being too far away to hear. "I'm surprised that this explosion didn't cause some cracks in the tunnels and…" Don trailed off as he heard the unmistakable sound of water coming his way. A lot of water.

"Spoke too soon."

A/N: Don't look at me like that, I had to put a cliffhanger somewhere!


	4. 4

A/N: I know I left you all with an evil cliffhanger. So I'm updating now. :) You're lucky I had a snow day today.

WARNING: Character death in this chapter. Sorry guys.

Leonardo and Raphael looked at each other, their eyes wide with terror. Leo was at the hole in the wall in a millisecond.

"DONNIE!" He yelled, "GET OUT OF THERE!"

"I'm trying, Leo," Don yelled back.

"Alright, that's it," Raph said. He quickly slid into the hole and helped Don support Mikey.

"Hurry," Don said, the sound of water getting louder, "We only have about ten seconds!"

"I'm trying!" Raph grunted, shifting Mikey so his weight was off his leg.

10

"GUYS!" Leo yelled, on the other side of the wall, "HURRY UP!"

9

"WE'RE TRYING!" Don and Raph's voices yelled back.

8

Looking around quickly, Leo spotted a manhole right above his head. "Yes!"

7

Hurrying back to the wall, Leo began pushing and pulling at the wall with his katana again to make the hole bigger.

6

A good chunk of the wall gave way, and Don and Raph climbed out, Mikey between them.

5

"There's a manhole up there!" Leo said, pointing. "Come on!"

4

"What about being seen?"

"Screw it!"

3

Raph rushed up the ladder first, helping pull Mikey to the surface.

2

Don scrambled up after Raph, Leo following, slightly slower having to climb with one hand, but fast enough.

1

Leo quickly replaced the manhole cover, just as the load roar of water became so loud, they couldn't hear each other. It was over in a minute.

"Is….is everyone okay?" Leo asked, breathing heavily.

"We're fine, Leo," Don said, shakily standing up. "Well, except for Mikey."

Leo looked around. They were lucky enough to have emerged in an alley, instead of popping up in the middle of a street or something. "We need to get back to the lair."

"So let's go." Raph said, one of Mikey's arms over his shoulder.

"Wait, Raph. We need to find a way to get Mikey back to the lair without hurting his leg further," Don spoke up.

As if on cue, a loud groan escaped Mikey, startling everyone else. "Ugh…what happened…how did I get up here…OW! Why does my leg hurt so much?"

Leo couldn't help a small smile at his brother's delayed reaction. "Here, Don." He said, gesturing to a spot behind a dumpster.

Leo helped Raph get Mikey behind the dumpster, and Don helped Mike sit down without putting any pressure on his leg.

"Can someone please tell me how in the world we went from the sewers to an alley? And did anyone find out what caused the explosion? Are Splinter and April okay? Did-"

"You're babbling again, Mikey." Don said simply. "Shut up for a minute so I can splint your leg."

Mikey fell silent, an annoyed look on his face. Leo squatted down next to him, while Raph went to go look for the best place to re-enter the sewers.

"We don't know anything, yet, Mikey." Leo explained. "We were concentrating more on getting you out of there, considering half the tunnels are under water now."

Mikey's eyes widened in surprise, and then even wider in pain as Don set his leg. "OW! Ow ow ow ow! Donnie! You're supposed to fix my leg, not break it again! OW!"

Don rolled his eyes. "I didn't break it again. I set it. You don't want it to heal crookedly, do you?"

"…No."

"That's what I thought."

"Um…Mike?" Leo asked, looking down. "Can I have my hand back?"

Mikey looked at Leo in surprise, then understood as he looked down as well. When Don had set his leg, Mikey had unconsciously grabbed Leo's hand and squeezed extremely hard.

"Uh…sorry…" Mikey said, grinning sheepishly, letting go.

"You're forgiven." Leo said, chuckling in spite of himself, waving his hand to get feeling back in it. Leave it to Mikey to lighten things up without even meaning to.

"There," Don said, leaning back, having splinted Mikey's leg well enough to get him at least back to the lair where he could treat him properly.

"Hey guys," Raph said, returning to the alley. "I found a manhole that leads almost directly to the lair."

"What about the flood?" Leo asked.

Raph shrugged. "It must have emptied off into the drainage junction before it got to the lair. There were only the regular puddles."

"Well, we better get going." Don said, standing up and heaving Mikey to his feet as well. "If you just stay off that leg," Don told him, "You should be okay."

Mikey nodded. Usually he would have milked this for all it was worth, but there was more important things to worry about right now. He put one of his arms around Don's shoulder, and the other one around Raph's.

"Ready?" Leo asked. "Let's go."

Somehow the four got to the manhole unseen. "Okay," Leo said. "Don, you go first and help Mikey down. Raph, you go after him."

His brothers nodded, and Don climbed down the ladder, then Mikey carefully lowered himself in, trying not to put any pressure on his leg whatsoever.

"Leo," Raph whispered in a lowered voice before he climbed in, "D'ya think-"

"Go, Raph." Leo interrupted. "We're in bright daylight." Raph frowned, but said nothing else, lowering himself into the sewers.

Leo hesitated before going in. Climbing up a ladder one handed when you're about to die is one thing. Going down is harder. Leo sighed and put his feet on the first rung. He had to learn to do this sooner or later. Leo finally got safely down the ladder, and turned to face his brothers. What he was feeling was reflected in all their eyes.

Fear.

'Okay,' Leo thought to himself as the door to his home came into view, blocked by large pieces of concrete and debris. 'Nothing's wrong, you're being paranoid. The explosion was probably just some workers. Splinter and April will be in there watching TV, totally fine…' Deep down, Leo knew none of this was true.

Leo reached out to open the door, but a small voice called out to him before he got the chance.

"Leo?"

Leo looked around, not seeing the source of the voice. He knew who it belonged to though. "April?"

"Leo, look!" Don said, pointing. A small sneaker was lying at the base of a large pile of rocks.

"Get Mikey inside." Leo ordered. "Then come help me."

By the time Raph and Don came back, Leo had managed to remove two large stones. Together, the three of them made a dent large enough for April to crawl out, seemingly unharmed. She fell sobbing into Raphael's arms. Raph looked surprised, then confused. "Uh…it's okay…"

"Are you alright?" Don asked.

Still sobbing, April nodded. Don and Leo looked at each other. She was not hurt, so what the shell was she crying about? It was _them_ whose home had been damaged.

"Come on," Raph said unusually softly, gently pushing April off him and putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go in and you can calm down."

Raph led April into the lair, and into the kitchen where he had her sit down. "Now April, what-" Leo started, but was interrupted by a scream from Mikey.

Leo, Don and Raph looked at each other, eyes wide, and ran to the living room where Don and Raph had left him. Mikey wasn't there.

"Search everywhere!" Leo said.

They spread out, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally Leo came to the one place they hadn't checked. Splinter's room.

Just as he was about to slide the door open to see if Mikey was inside, April caught his arm, tears still running down her face, but considerably more calm than before. "Leo, wait, I need to tell you-"

"Not now, April, I have to make sure Mikey's okay." Leo said, pulling away.

"But Leo-"

Nothing could have prepared Leo for what he saw as he slid the door open.

Splinter was lying on his bed, his head bent to one side. A bullet hole was visible just below his ear, blood still trickling from it.

Mikey was on his knees next to Splinter's bed, curled up, his arms over his head. Leo could hear faint crying coming from him.

Leo stared. He was vaguely aware of footsteps coming up behind him. His brothers. He wanted to turn, to comfort them, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from his lifeless parent on the bed.

Leo blinked slowly, then just as slowly, turned around. Both his brothers were in the frozen state he had just been in. April stood in front of them, looking morose.

"I tried….I tried to tell you…" she said, silent tears coming down her face.

Leo swallowed. "April…what…what happened?"

April shuddered. "There was an explosion…Foot soldiers must have planted the bomb, because as soon as it went off, they all came in here…" April stopped for a minute to compose herself. "Splinter told me to hide…so I did…there was a shot…and then they were gone. When I came out, he was dead." April breathed deeply. "I ran out to find you guys, but then all that debris blocked me…"

Don continued to look shell shocked. Mikey had abandoned his curled up position on the floor, and was leaning against the wall, his good leg drawn up, his head resting on it, tears sliding down his cheeks and dripping onto the floor. "I...I just wanted to see him..." he whispered.

Raph let out a large growl and stormed off. A few seconds later they could hear the stuffing being beat out of something.

Leo sank to his knees in front of his Master's bed and put his arms around Mikey. He wasn't sure what to do now, and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

A/N: Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! But you can't say I didn't warn you.


	5. 5

Disclaimer: WHY? Why do we need these! It's OBVIOUS I don't own them! Jeez…

A/N: So. I didn't get as many death threats as I thought I would. Good. You guys don't hate me! Yet...

_Rain pelted Leonardo's body and slid down his shell. With a short growl, he pulled out his katana, and raised it to a battle position. "You will pay for what you have done." The wind carried his voice away, but the hate burning in his eyes was easily seen. Leonardo leapt, his weapon piercing the body of-_

"Leo? LEO?" Don's voice cut into Leo's thoughts. Jolting out of his daydream state, Leo looked around. He blinked. When he had first sat down at the kitchen table, it had been around eight in the morning. Now it was noon. Had he really been thinking that long? He had been so close to finding out who it was…but he had a good idea.

"You okay?" Don asked, knowing Leo was actually not okay, neither was he, Raph or Mikey. It just seemed like the polite thing to do to ask.

"Yeah…" Leo said distantly. Don sighed. He had zoned off again. "Do you want something to eat?" Don asked slowly.

Leo looked at Don. He looked as if he was seriously thinking about saying yes, but then looked back at the table. "No."

"You haven't eaten since-"

"I know."

Don fiddled with a piece of peeling paint on the cupboard next to him. "Are you sure? Because-"

"No."

Don sighed. He would try again later.

Leo watched Don give up on him, and walk out of the kitchen. He knew he hadn't eaten in two days. But he wasn't hungry. Leo stared at an empty pizza box on the counter across from him. He ran his finger around a scratch in the kitchen table. It had been there since they were little. Leo had no idea how it had got there, or if the table had been like that when Splinter brought it home.

'I shouldn't just be sitting here,' Leo thought. _'I should be trying to find out who did this…and why…'_ Although Leo had a good idea who had done it and why, his fears weren't confirmed just yet.

Shaking his head, Leo stood up from his chair, planning to head to the dojo to get rid of some built up stress. At the door to the dojo, Leo listened carefully. The sounds of someone beating the crap out of a punching bag floated into the hallway. Someone was already in there.

As far as Leo knew, Mikey hadn't left his room after Donnie had helped him there last night. He didn't know where Don had gone, but he wasn't the type to relieve stress by beating up things. And that only left one person.

Raph was leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, taking a break from working out.

"Raph, I-"

"I don't wanna hear it, Leo." Raph growled, looking at Leo from under his arm.

Leo stood, considering. _'I could just walk away, right now…'_ "Hear what?"

Raph stared at him incredulously. "You don't think I know?"

"Know what, Raph?" Leo sighed. He was getting tired of this game already.

Raph turned his shell to Leo. "You don't think I know this is my fault?" Leo didn't say anything, just kept his eyes on his brother. "Think, Leo. When did things get to be so bad? On Saturday. When I left."

"Raph, it's not-"

"Yes, it is, Leo!" Raph said, turning so he was facing Leo. "If I hadn't been so hell bent on leavin', if I had listened to you and stayed here, you wouldn't be missin' that hand, and Splinter might be alive right now."

"Raph, listen-"

"No, you listen! I was so mad at ya I left to go to Casey's. But it started rainin'. So I went home. And while you and Donnie and Mikey were fightin,' and coulda gotten killed, where was I? I WAS RIGHT FUCKIN' HERE!"

Leo was shocked. "Raph-"

"I coulda helped...but I was right here, safe and warm while you guys-"

"RAPH!" Raph fell silent. Leo sighed, looking down at the ground. "Listen, Raph. These thoughts passed through my head too." Raph's head shot up. "But," Leo continued, "I realized. We can't pin this on you. This is not your fault. It's no one's fault except Oroku Saki's."

Raph looked up, surprised. "You really know it was him?"

Leo shook his head. "I don't know for sure. But think, Raph. Why else would a bunch of Foot ninjas be in here?"

Raph picked up his sais from where he had dropped them on the ground and stuck them back in his belt. "I…I'm gonna go check on Mikey," he mumbled, before he practically rocketed out of the room.

Leo shook his head and unsheathed his own weapon.

Mikey woke with a start and sat up quickly. He had been having the most freaky dream…his leg gave a painful jerk and Mikey gasped in pain. Looking down at his leg, everything came rushing back to him. It wasn't a dream. It was real. Sensei was dead. As the realization his him, a few tears slipped down his face.

Someone knocked softly on his door. "C-come in," Mikey said softly, wiping the tears away so it wouldn't look like he was crying.

"Mikey?" Raph came in. "Uh…how's your leg?"

Mikey shrugged. "Broken."

Raph scratched his head, struggling for words. "Uh, yeah…I knew that. So…"

Mikey waited for Raph to say something else. When he didn't, Mikey shifted uncomfortably. "Did you…want anything?"

Raph sighed. "No…"

Mikey grinned. "Good. Then you can help me get to the bathroom."

A small smile appeared on Raph's face. Count on Mikey.

Leo breathed deeply, closing his eyes. BRING! Leo opened one eye. BRING! Leo sighed and got up. Stupid phone. "Hello?"

"Leo?"

Leo blinked. "April? How are you?" After they had found Splinter, April had decided to go home. Casey was staying with her, since she didn't feel safe alone in her apartment.

"I'm okay. Listen, me and Casey were talking, and we have a suggestion…"

Leo walked into the TV room, where Raph and Don were sitting on either side of Mikey, watching TV. Mike had his leg propped up on the table.

"Guys," Leo said. They looked up at him. "We're going to Casey's farmhouse."

Don looked confused. "What? Why?"

"Bury Splinter. Let's go."

Raph stood up. "We're going now? What about Mikey?"

"We'll have to help him."

Don stood up as well. "Leo, we can't just-"

"Yes we can, Donnie. Be at the Battle Shell in thirty minutes." Leo left the room, leaving his brothers totally and utterly confused.

Thirty minutes later, all four turtles were assembled at the Battle Shell. Raph was doing some last minute gas refills, while Don helped Mikey get comfortable in the back.

When they were all ready, Don hopped in the driver's seat, Leo in the passenger's seat. Raph sat in back with Mikey.

"Leo, can you tell me why you are so bent on getting to the farmhouse?" Don asked, as he pulled out of the garage.

Leo sighed and leaned back. "I don't know Don. I didn't mean to freak out like that. I just want to get Splinter buried, I guess."

Don nodded, keeping his eyes on the road. "I can understand."

They drove in silence for a little while. Then Leo sighed and rested his head on his hand. "Donnie...I wanted to get out fast, because what if they came back? The Foot? We're in no condition to defend ourselves."

They rode in uncomfortable silence for the rest of the trip.

April looked up as the Battle Shell pulled into the driveway. She came onto the porch and waved. No one waved back. April put down her hand and hurried over to the back of the van. "Hey guys." She said softly as Raph jumped out of the back. There was a muttered 'hey,' but she was unsure who it was.

April noticed the splint on Mikey's leg, and hopped inside the back of the Battle Shell to help him down. Mikey gave a small smile of thanks to her, but didn't say anything else. April began to lead him inside the house, but Leo's voice stopped her. "Wait."

April and Mike looked at each other, than turned around. "What, Leo?" Mikey asked.

Leo sighed. "We're going to do it now."

Raph, Don and Mikey looked at each other. "Right now?" Mikey asked. Leo nodded.

April ran a hand through her hair. "Well…Casey should be done with the hole now…"

As if on cue, Casey came jogging out of the forest, completely covered in dirt. He raised a hand in greeting. "So, you guys ready then?" he asked. At the looks on their faces, he shrugged. "I heard ya from there."

"Some ninjas we are." Raph muttered.

"Yeah, Casey." Leo answered, ignoring Raph. "April, help Mikey there, would you? We'll follow with Splinter."

Don and Raph got the box that contained their master, and started to follow April and Casey, when they noticed Leo wasn't following. "Y'comin' Leo?" Raph asked, twisting his head around.

Leo nodded. "Yeah, go ahead, I'll be behind you." His brothers continued into the forest. Leo looked up. The sky was turning grey. It was going to rain. Leo sighed and began walking after his brothers. Sure enough, he hadn't even walked five steps before it started lightly drizzling. Five minutes later, it had turned to an all out downpour.

Leo squinted behind his bandanna. He could make out four figures standing in the rain….

_Leonardo was walking through the rain. Squinting behind his bandanna, he noticed he was at the farmhouse. Leo could just barely make out four figures standing around in a circle, looking at something…. _

Leo froze. The feeling of déjà vu washed over him. The dream he had had on Saturday…before everything started…it wasn't a dream. It was a premonition.

Blinking, Leo came to a realization. The four figures in his dream had been Raph, Don, Mikey, and April. He couldn't see Casey anywhere. And they had been looking at…Leo swallowed hard. The something the figures had been looking at in his dream was Splinter's grave.

"Leo, you look like you've seen a ghost." Casey commented, now visible, having been hidden by a tree. April glared at him. "What?" Casey looked confused. "OH! Bad choice of words…sorry."

Don and Raph carefully lowered the box into the hole, and they all stood there, staring. April had tears running down her face, though it was hard to tell, due to the rain. A small sob came from Mikey.

But Leo wasn't paying attention anymore. His first dream had come true. So what about his daydream this morning? Would that come true as well?

As the rain continued to beat down on them, Leo thought hard. He knew who had killed his father. And he wouldn't rest until he was dead.


	6. 6

A/N: I've been a little stuck. I have an outline for this story, but like most stories, it went way off track! I've been sitting staring at a blank screen for a week. But, I finally figured it out. This chapter is going to be a day in the life kind of thing, so to speak. Okay, enough babble. Enjoy the story.

Leonardo breathed deeply, and cleared his mind. He began to feel the calmness of meditation envelop him. A gentle breeze played with his bandanna tails, and he opened his eyes. Leo sighed and settled his hands on his knees. He really loved it here, outside at the farm. Although he and his brothers had been through a lot the past couple days, he felt relaxed. He knew the feeling would disappear as soon as he walked back into the house, but for now, it felt good.

Leo leaned his head back against the rough bark of the tree and half closed his eyes, watching the clouds float across the sky. A small smile played across his features. He spent a lot of time looking at the sky at the farm. He saw the night sky enough in New York, but it was rare that he saw the blue sky of the late morning.

Leo raised his arms above his head, stretching. He heaved himself to his feet and began to make his trek back to the farmhouse, where tension was so thick he could cut it with a katana.

Michelangelo looked up from his comic book as the hiss of pancake batter caught his attention. Sitting in a chair next to the oven with his leg propped up, Mikey grabbed a spatula and began flipping them. One particular stubborn pancake refused to flip.

"Come…on!" Mikey told the pancake, scraping the spatula under it and pulling upwards with a little too much force. The pancake flew in the air and hit Leo in the face with a 'splat' just as he walked in the door.

"That's one way to wake up," Leo said dryly, wiping the pancake batter off.

"Sorry, Leo." Mikey said, embarrassed.

Leo shrugged. "Don't worry about it Mike. Does Don know you're up?"

Mikey looked even more embarrassed and looked away. "Well…no. I kinda hopped my way out here. But don't tell him, Leo! If he knows I even moved out of my bed by myself, he'll have my shell."

"Alright, alright. Jeez." Leo said, somewhat amused. "I won't tell him."

Mikey looked relieved, and gestured to the skillet. "Pancake?"

Leo shook his head. "No thanks. Have you seen Raph?"

"Not since yesterday, dude." Mikey said.

Leo sighed. "Okay." After they had buried Splinter, Raph had become even more anti-social than he usually was. He left before everyone woke up, and came back when they were asleep. No one really knew where he went, but Leo had decided to give him a few days before he went after him. The last thing anyone needed right now was for Raph to blow up in their faces.

_Not like I blame him_. Leo thought. They had been through almost everything together. And Raph was convinced it was his fault, no matter how many times Leo had told him it wasn't. _But since when did he ever listen to me._

"He didn't come in last night."

Leo blinked. "What?"

Mikey sighed. "I said, he didn't come in last night. I usually wake up when he comes in. He didn't come in last night."

Leo slowly grabbed his katana and held it in his hand. "I'm gonna go look for him."

As Leo was about to go out the door for the second time that day, he realized with a jolt that everything had started when he went after Raphael a few days ago. Maybe it would be better if he didn't go after him this time. Leo shook his head. What was he thinking? He had to make sure his brother was okay.

"Are you sure you didn't just not hear him come in last night?" Leo asked.

Mikey shook his head. "He wasn't in his room, either."

Leo sighed, and looked out the window. Looked like he was going back out. "I'll be back in a little while, Mike."

Leo trudged along through one of the many fields surrounding the farmhouse, keeping an eye open for Raph, but not paying much attention to anything. His katana scraped on the ground as he walked, and he lifted it up to his face, staring at his reflection in the metal.

Leo kept walking, staring at his weapon, until his foot connected with something hard and he fell flat on his face. Leo grunted as he hit the ground,and rolled away to see what he had tripped on.

Leo's eyes widened. Raph was lying curled on his side on the ground. Leo scrambled over to him and shook him. "Raph! RAPH!"

Raph opened one eye, caught sight of Leo, and sat up. "Jeez, Leo, chill." He yawned.

Leo's mouth hung open. "You were _sleeping_?"

Raph blinked and looked around, then up, squinting at the sun. "Looks that way."

Leo shook his head in disbelief. "Raphael, you had me thinking you were dead!"

"Well I'm not," Raph said, rolling his neck and standing up. He extended a hand to Leo, who took it. "So calm down."

Leo sighed as he was pulled to his feet. "Well…" he had a whole lecture planned, but now he couldn't seem to remember a word of it. He gave up, and opted for another route. "How can you sleep out here?"

Raph shrugged. "Easy." He nodded at the ground. Leo followed his brother's gaze, and caught sight of two or three beer bottles on the ground. There were probably a few more hidden by the tall grass as well.

"Raphael…" Leo started, but then stopped himself. He really didn't feel like lecturing Raph right now, and his words would fall on deaf ears anyway. "Want some breakfast?"

Raph looked surprised. Leo assumed Raph had been preparing himself to tune him out, or thinking up some smart ass reply to whatever Leo was going to say. However, Leo's words surprised Raph, and all he could manage to say was a rough "Sure."

The two brothers made their way back to the house in silence.

A large crash resonated from inside the kitchen as they approached the house,followed by April's shrill voice, "Michelangelo!"

Leo raised an eyeridge, and looked at Raph, who looked back,a confusedlook on his face. "C'mon, let's see what's up," Raph said, pushing open the door.

April was standing in the middle of the kitchen, completely covered in white flour. Mikey was standing on one leg behind her, using her as a human shield.

"Donnie…what's going on?" Leo asked his brother, who was looking extremely tired and frustrated.

"Mikey here won't let me give him any pain killers."

Raph and Leo both looked surprised at this news. Out of all of them, Mikey was the one who hated dealing with pain the most.

"Why's that, Mikey?" Leo asked his orange clad brother, who was still cowering behind April.

"'Cause it's in a needle!" Mikey said indignantly.

"If you keep walking around like that, Mike, your leg will hurt a lot worse than this needle will!" Don said, exasperated with the whole thing.

"NO!"

Leo rolled his eyes. "Mike, you're acting like a kid."

Mikey glowered at Leo. "In case you haven't noticed, _Leonardo,_ I _am_ a kid!"

Leo sighed. Mikey had a point. "Okay, fine. You're acting like a _little _kid!"

"And…why is April covered in flour?" Raph asked, obviously trying hard not to laugh, and failing miserably.

"Because," April said, "Michelangelo here knocked it all over me while he was trying to escape."

Raph couldn't hold it in any more, and began laughing. Leo joined him, and soon everyone was laughing so hard they all had to sit down at the table just so they could breathe. And as they laughed, some of the tension disappeared.

Two hours later, April had managed to get most of the flour off, and Don had cornered Mikey and got him to sit still for a second to give him the painkiller.

It had started to rain, and all five of them were sitting in the living room, relaxing and listening to the soothing sound of the rain pattering on the roof.

April had her sketchbook out, and was drawing something. She wouldn't let the guys see what it wasuntil she was done.

Leo was curled up in a corner of the couch, reading a book. Raph was on the other side of the couch, his head resting on his hand, absently channel surfing, but not really seeing the screen.

Mikey sat on the floor in front of the couch with his bad leg stretched out, listening to his walkman and playing on his game dude at the same time.

Mikey nodded his head to the music and began singing to his CD.

"Bahamas, pajamas, I want some pretty llamas…"

"Mikey…" Raph groaned, pausing in his channel surfing as April giggled. "That's not how the song goes."

"I know." Mike said, sliding his headphones off. "But I don't know the words. Gotta improvise, dude." Raph groaned, and Leo simply rolled his eyes.

"What'cha doin', Donnie?" Mikey asked, twisting around so he could see his genius brother, who was at the current moment, playing on the computer.

"Just…looking at something, Mikey," Don said distractedly, as he typed in another web address.

Mikey snorted and put his headphones back on. Don could be that way for hours when on the internet.

Don sighed as he finished reading another internet news column. Oroku Saki was becoming an even bigger celebrity than he everwas before.

_Savior of New York my shell…_Don thought. A small pinging noise brought his attention to the corner of the computer screen.

Don brought the mouse to the little green messenger icon and clicked on it, typing in his screen name and password. His contacts list appeared. There was no one on except one. Don smiled a little as a pop up box came up.

Firejay: Yo, ninja, what's up?

Don sighed, and looked back at his brothers. Mikey was watching television with Raph, arguing with him about whether wrestling was fixed or not, while Leo and April were in deep conversation, her sketchbook forgotten. He rested his hands back on the keyboard.

Purple ninja: Not too much. My bro's and I are just relaxing with a friend.

Firejay: Oh yeah? Lucky you get to relax.

Purple ninja: Not really. The only reason we're with our friend is cause our…dad passed away recently.

Firejay: Aww, sorry to hear.

Purple ninja: It's okay, we're coping.

Firejay: Did he die of natural causes?

Don blinked. Well, for a ninja, being killed is a natural cause. But he couldn't tell some person he met on the internet that.

Purple ninja: No. But I'd rather not talk about it.

Firejay: Understandable. I went to a speech yesterday.

Purple ninja: Was it public?

Firejay: Yup.

Don frowned. He thought he knew about all the public speeches in New York.

Firejay: Oroku Saki gave it. You know, that Japanese philanthropist? It was really interesting..

Don's jaw dropped. Oroku Saki? What in the world could he be talking about publicly?

Purple ninja: Okay, sorry, I gotta go.

Firejay: Aw, okay. Feel better about your dad.

Purple ninja: thanks. Bye.

Don logged off, and sat back in his chair, staring at the computer screen.

"Something wrong, Don?" Leo asked, turning away from April, a concerned look on his face.

Don opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Nothing."

Leo gave him a confused look, then shrugged and turned back to his book.

Don sighed and watched his brothers. He had a bunch of ideas and theories, none of them good. He would tell Leo in private, later.

Oroku Saki stood at the window, his arms folded. "Report." He told the silent ninja behind him.

"There are still no signs of the turtles."

Shredder scowled. "And what of their friend? The one who used to work for Stockman…O'Neil?"

"Still no sign."

Shredder whipped around and picked up a chair, throwing it across the room in his rage. The ninja continued standing at attention.

"You are dismissed."

The ninja bowed, and disappeared.

Shredder paced a few moments, then pushed a button on the wall. "Karai. I have a job for you to do."

A/N: Whew, this chapter was hard! I had to work up to things I want to happen, but still not make it boring! I hope I pulled it off okay. For those of you who don't know, Oroku Saki is considered the 'savior of New York' now, because he spent a lot of money helping the city reconstruct after theTriceraton invasion in the cartoon.


	7. 7

A/N: Sorry for the somewhat long wait. I've been busy with evil standardized testing and the like. Anyways, here's your chapter. Thanks for being so patient with me.

The days at the farmhouse passed relatively quickly, until before you knew it, a whole month had passed by. Leo had been keeping himself busy, perfecting both old and new katas and continuing on his spiritual journeys to find inner peace with himself. Unfortunately when you are a teenager with three other teenage brothers, there is a fat chance of finding inner peace.

Leo was in his usual chair in the kitchen, reading a newspaper that Casey had picked up for him from his last trip to the general store. Leo was the only one awake, and he reveled in the early morning quiet, which he knew would not last.

As he was folding up the newspaper, he heard a pair of feet approaching the kitchen. Smiling slightly to himself, he turned to greet his brother, and was mildly surprised to see Mikey entering the kitchen.

"Hey, Mike." He greeted quietly.

Mikey looked up, as if he hadn't noticed Leo there, then gave him a small smile and went back to rummaging in the fridge. Leo frowned as Mikey made his way from the fridge to the counter. He was still walking with a slight limp, the break in his leg having healed completely about a week ago.

"You okay?" Leo asked.

"Yep." Mikey said, plopping down heavily in a chair, and drinking straight from the orange juice container.

Leo wrinkled his beak. "Other people live here, you know."

Mike looked at the container, then back at Leo. He set the container down and got a glass. "Sorry."

Leo rolled his eyes. "It's okay, Mike. So, did you-"

Leo was cut off when a tornado came bursting into a kitchen. A.K.A., Raph.

Raph didn't bother to greet his two brothers, but sat down heavily across from Mikey. Leo had to duck his head to hide somewhat of a grin. Raph never was a morning person.

"Morning, Raph!" Mikey said happily. Raph may not have been a morning person, but Mikey was.

Raph grumbled and muttered a little, then grabbed a piece of toast off the counter.

They were soon joined by Don, who while wasn't a morning person either, was a lot more pleasurable in the morning than Raph.

As soon Raph and Don had gotten over their morning 'leave-me-alone-or-I'll-kick-your-ass' mode and everyone had eaten, Leo cleared his throat.

"So…I was thinking that we ought to get back to our regular practice schedule today-"

Leo was cut off by a series of loud groans. "Oh, come on guys. We need to get back in shape."

"We're just fine, Leo." Raph grumbled. Leo sighed. Obviously this was one of Raph's bad days.

"We need to be ready for anything," Leo persisted. "Mikey especially." He said, looking at his youngest brother. "You need to get back on that leg."

Looking around, Leo saw he wasn't getting anywhere.

"If we want to get revenge on Shredder," he said calmly, "We need to be in top physical condition. If we work hard, then we can go back to New York in about a week-"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute." Raph interrupted. "The whole time we've been here, I've been sayin' that we needed to go back to New York immediately and kick Shredder's metal ass. Now you're saying we have to wait another _week_? We've been waitin' for four weeks already!"

"And that was so Mikey could get back on his feet," Leo said lowly. "We need to make sure we're prepared before-"

"Leo, we're just givin' the Shredder more time to prepare to beat us!" Raph yelled across the table.

Mikey and Don looked at each other nervously. They knew from years of experience that a fight was heating up between their older brothers. "Let's get outta here before the other shoe drops," Don whispered to Mikey.

Mike nodded, and the two silently made their way out of the kitchen.

"Hey guys!" April said cheerily as Don and Mikey swiftly escaped from the kitchen. "What's up?"

"April, I strongly advise you to stay out of the kitchen for the next fifteen minutes." Don said.

April blinked. "Why?"

There was silence, and then Leo's and Raph's raising voices echoed into the hallway. "That's why," Mikey said, taking April's hand and pulling her away. "Let's go watch TV, shall we?"

"We should be preparing too, if the Shredder is planning something!" Leo yelled, trying everything in his power to keep control. "We would have a better chance than just rushing in there without a plan!"

"You know what?" Raph growled. "You're right. We'll just sit here all happy and safe at the farmhouse, and give Shredder the opportunity to find where we are and kill us."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M SAYING!" Leo shouted. "I'm just saying we should be ready!"

"Whatever, _stumpy_." Raph hissed. "I'm outta here."

That was the last straw for Leo. With a yell, he threw himself on top of Raph, pinning him to the ground with his knees. He raised his fist and punched his brother in the face. Leo drew his hand back to hit him again, when a pair of hands grabbed his hand, making it impossible for him to swing his fist down again.

"Leo, chill." Don's soft voice came from behind him. Don let go of Leo's hand, and Leo got off of Raph, letting his arm drop to his side.

Both breathing heavily, Raph and Leo glared at each other with murderous stares until Mikey came and suggested he and Raph take a walk, literally dragging him out the door.

Don waited until Mikey had Raph far away from the farmhouse, then turned to Leo. "What the shell was that?" he said.

Leo sighed and looked at the ground. "I lost control, Donnie." He said, "I just couldn't help it…Raph was being so _stubborn_…and I just want the best for this family, you know? I don't want Shredder to hurt anyone else."

Don nodded, and took a seat next to his brother.

&

Karai walked through the private aircraft hanger that was situated in Foot headquarters. She stopped in front of a black jet with the red Foot insignia painted on it. Pulling out a remote, she hit a button, and the door to the jet hissed open, a set of stairs descending from the open doorway.

Karai was halfway up the stairs when a deep voice cut through the air. "Karai."

Karai turned to see Hun lumbering towards her. Mentally rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Yes, Hun?"

"The master wants me to accompany you on this mission," Hun said, smirking.

_Great, _Karai thought to herself. "Very well then." She hopped up the rest of the stairs, and held the door open for Hun. "If you do not mind," she told him, as he entered the body of the jet, "Could you sit in the middle?"

Hun gave her a confused look. "Why?"

Karai shrugged. "I do not want the jet tipping over." Hun growled, and the jet took off.

&

Mike walked silently next to Raph as they made their way through the woods surrounding the farmhouse. Raph growled and kicked a pine cone.

"Hey, what'd that pine cone ever do to you?" Mikey said light heartedly, but fell silent when his brother didn't answer. "Raph…" he started.

"Can it, Mike." Raph said. "I'm not in the mood."

"Mood for what?" Mikey pressed.

"For your bullshit." Raph said harshly.

"My bullshit saved you from being killed by Leo back there," Mikey said.

"Whatever, Mikey." Raph growled. "I just need to be alone."

Mikey watched his brother jump into a nearby tree, and then disappear.

"I'll save some dinner for you then…" Mikey grumbled, making his way back to his house.

&

"We are here," Karai said, lightly kicking a sleeping Hun as the jet began to descend.

"You don't have to kick me." Hun grumbled.

"I am sorry," Karai said. "But it does not matter. We are here." She pulled out a small remote looking device. She pressed a few buttons, and it began beeping.

"What's that?" Hun asked.

Karai slipped the device back into her pocket. "That is for me to know. Now let us go."

The stairs to the jet came down, and Karai and Hun stepped into the forest of upstate New York.

A/N: Sorry it's shorter then usual.


	8. 8

Disclaimer: If I owned the ninja turtles, I wouldn't be sitting here writing fanfiction instead of doing my homework, now would I?

A/N: I'm back! Did ya miss me? Okay, I know I wasn't gone that long…but long enough. Whatever. You may want to use this time to use the bathroom, get a snack, whatever, because this chapter is somewhat long.

"Kya! Kya! Kya!" The sounds of three voices echoed from the barn all the way into the farmhouse.

April pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and set a plate overflowing with sandwiches on the wooden table. "Casey!" she called. "Could you tell the guys lunch is ready?"

"Sure," Casey said, coming into the kitchen from the living room. "Hey, you look…I dunno…"

"Stressed?" April sighed. "I've been really worried about them since…well, since Splinter passed away, and Leo and Raph aren't getting along…"

"I was gonna say tired…but I guess stressed works too." Casey said. "And don' worry 'bout Raph and Leo. They never get along." Casey grinned at April, then walked out into thechilly fall airto get the turtles.

Leo's concentration never wavered as he lead his brothers through every exercise they had ever been taught. Together they went through the basic motions, the warm up drills, and every kata they had learned since they began learning ninjitsu.

"Okay, guys," Leo said, having noticed Don's concentration begin to slip more than an hour ago, and Mikey looking downright tired. "Take a break."

Leo watched Mike and Don flop into the hay, exhausted, too tired to even talk to each other. Leo knew he was pushing them hard. He even couldn't help but wonder why they didn't just follow Raph's example and take off. He was glad they didn't though, because it had been a while since they had last done anything due to Mikey's leg, and it showed that they needed practice. He would kill himself before he let anything happen to his brothers.

Leo was satisfied with his brother's performance though. It was sloppy and slow at first, but soon it progressed to where it had stayed rock solid throughout their pre-teen and teenage years.

Lost in their own thoughts, all three turtles jumped with surprise as the double doors to the barn banged open.

"Hey guys!" Casey called loudly. "It's time for-"

"Casey!" Mikey groaned. "Use your indoor voice!"

"Yeah, well April says it's time for lunch." Casey said, unfazed, although his volume did lower considerably.

"Lunch?" Leo said. _Where did the time go?_

"Yes, Leo." Casey said, speaking slowly. "Lunch. You remember, that meal you eat in the middle of the day?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "I know what lunch is, bonehead. But it doesn't seem like we've been out here long enough…"

Don and Mikey looked at each other. _Long enough?_

Mikey opened his mouth to protest, but Casey beat him to it. "Long enough? You guys have been out here for six hours!"

"Without stopping until now." Don noted quietly.

Leo blinked. Had it really been that long? Now he was really surprised his brothers hadn't ditched him yet. "Well…"

A loud rumbling that could only be someone's stomach – most likely Michelangelo's – made up Leo's mind for him. "Okay," he said. "We're done for today."

"THANK YOU WHATEVER ALMIGHTY BEING IS UP THERE!" Mikey shouted.

"Indoor voice," Casey reminded him with a wink.

Casey led the way out of the barn, with Mikey and Don following. Leo stood for a few minutes, having fallen into the well of thought again. His eyes wandered over to the corner of the barn…Raph had helped him remake his katanas after the Shredder had pretty beaten him to a pulp, and destroyed his weapons.

That was one of the few times they had gotten along, and Leo regretted blowing up at Raph yesterday. His temperamental brother hadn't come home from his walk with Mikey yet, and that was yesterday afternoon. All Leo could do was hope he was okay.

Raph walked along a dirt path in the woods, that seemed to have been worn over a multitude of years. He dragged his feet, but he was in a much better mood than yesterday. Maybe it was because the sky was extremely blue with the sunshiningdown on him (although it was a little chilly)and it didn't seem right to be angry. Or it just might have been that he hadn't seen Leo in over ten hours.

Raph sighed, and looked up, watching some of the leaves get knocked to the ground by a squirrel. He knew he should be going home, that Leo would be going out of his mind with worry, but he didn't want to. It was quiet, with the exception of the occasional chirping of a bird. Completely unlike the city he was raised in.

Raph snapped out of his reverie as his sharp ears picked up the soft crunch of pine needles being stepped on. He quickly leapt into a tree and concealed himself.

Raph's eyes narrowed as a very familiar blonde head and behemoth shoulders found their way into his vision. "Hun?" He whispered to himself. He caught sight of another familiar figure- "Karai." He growled. He knew why they were there. They were looking for the turtles. He leaned down farther to try and catch what they were saying.

Raph waited for the pair to pass, and then silently climbed out of the tree. He had to warn his brothers. Problem was, he didn't know exactly how far he had wandered away from the farmhouse. Raph sighed, took one more resigned look at the resident flora, and began to walk in the opposite direction from which he had come.

"Casey! Be careful with that." April watched nervously as Casey stacked wood in the fireplace. It was starting to get cooler out, and the nights were exceptionally cold- especially if you were cold blooded.

"Hey, I know this place like the back of my hand. Nothing's gonna-" WHOOSH! Casey jumped back as fire suddenly burst up into the fireplace. "Happen."

Leo ignored the activity in the living room behind him and continued to watch the dirt path leading into the woods. He jumped slightly as someone put a hand on his shoulder.

"Still waitin' for Raph?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah…" Leo said distractedly, still staring out the window. He had been standing there for an hour, and now the sun was starting to go down.

"He'll be fine bro. How much trouble can he get into in the middle of the woods?"

Leo turned to stare at Mikey, as if to say, _You don't really expect me to answer that, do you? _Leo sighed and turned back to the window.

Mikey shrugged, unable to get through to his brother. He would try again later.

Leo listened to Mikey leave, watching the dirt path. Nothing. Maybe he should stop being so paranoid and trust Raph to come home safely. Master Splinter did…didn't he?

Leo rested his head against the cool glass of the window. He knew that wasn't true. Master Splinter would wait up for any one of them when they went out, probably worried out of his mind.

Leo nodded to himself as he made up his mind. He was going to go look for Raph. Even if his brother didn't want to be found.

April looked up from her book as she heard the squeak of the door opening. Brows furrowed in curiosity, she put down her book and walked into the front hall. "Leo?" she asked, recognizing the katana strapped to his shell.

Leo stopped halfway through the door. "Did you need something, April?"

April shook her head. "No…I just…where are you going?"

"To find Raph." Leo said simply, and was gone.

April bit her lip. Leo had disappeared before she had a chance to tell him it was only going to be thirty degrees that night. April went to find Don.

Raph shivered for the third time that night. He had been tailing Karai and Hun for what seemed like forever. Whatever gizmo Karai was using to track the turtles must have been defective, because they were going in completely the wrong direction. And Raph was willing to help them along.

Crouched in a tree with his arms wrapped around himself, he watched them, listening carefully. It sounded as if Hun wanted to go back to the nice warm jet. Raph smirked to himself. Wimp.

"We've been looking for hours," Hun complained. "I still don't see why it can't wait till morning."

"Because a task has been set before us, and we must finish it." Karai insisted. "No breaks."

Hun crossed his arms, pouting like a little kid.

Karai said something else, and Raph leaned forwards to hear better. What he heard instead was a loud CRACK! And suddenly he was falling.

Landing on his shell on the frozen ground, Raph groaned as he opened his eyes. "Stupid tree branch…" he muttered. As his vision swam into focus, he realized someone was standing over him. "Hun!" he growled, leaping to his feet and fighting off the wave of dizziness that came with it.

"Look Karai, we found one of them at least," Hun said, advancing and cracking his knuckles.

Raph immediately drew his sais, and was shocked at how slow his reflexes were. _Must be the cold…_he thought a bit nervously. He got into a stance and waited for Hun to charge.

Leo shivered, his teeth chattering, but kept going on the path, calling Raph's name. _Yes, I am an idiot…I should've worn a coat or something…_But Leo was resigned to not turn back until he found Raphael.

"RAPH!" He called out again, his throat sore from the biting cold air. He was starting to get a weird sense of déjà vu. Suddenly he felt a presence behind him, and whipped around, drawing his katana.

"Chill Leo, it's just us!" Mikey's voice cut through the dark air. Leo could see two shadowy figures behind a tree.

"Guys, what are you doing?" Leo asked his brothers.

"Making sure you don't freeze to death." Don said, pulling out a jacket and a pair of baggy pants from his duffel bag, identical to the clothes he and Mikey wore.

Leo did feel a lot warmer once he had the clothes on. "Thanks," he said, "But Raph's still out here…without the winter clothes."

"We know." Don said. "We're gonna help you look."

Leo smiled. "Thanks guys. Now let's hurry up and find him before we all freeze…even with the clothes."

They searched for another twenty minutes, parting ways and calling Raph's name, then joining together again, coming up empty.

"Something's gotta be wrong." Mikey said, looking around nervously. "We've been calling him forever…he hasn't been answering his shell cell, either."

Leo nodded in agreement. "We've tried splitting up…let's try sticking together now."

They walked together for another ten minutes, when suddenly Don stopped. "Leo…look!" One of Raph's sai was lying in the middle of the dirt path, glinting with the moonlight. Leo picked it up. "He's gotta be in this area. Spread out."

Leo waited until Mikey and Don had begun searching the woods to either side of him, then moved forwards into the woods. He looked behind every tree, leaving no leaf unturned. "I swear…if he's back at the farmhouse I'm gonna-" But Leo never got to decide what he was going to do to Raph, because at that moment he heard a very soft noise…almost like a moan.

Leo followed the noise, and almost fell over a tree branch. "What the shell?" Under further examination, he realized that the branch had to have broken off a tree recently. He continued to follow the moaning sound, until he caught sight of a shadowy figure lying on the ground.

Leo felt his heart sink as he got closer, and realized it was Raph. He seemed to be unconscious, although he was at least making noise. That was a good sign. "GUYS!" he called. He didn't have to say anything else. The worried tone in his voice spoke volumes.

Mike and Don appeared in seconds, both panting from the speed they had run to get to Leo and Raph quickly.

Don immediately knelt down next to Raph. "He's in shock." He said, pulling the extra clothes out of his bag and spreading the jacket over Raph like a blanket. "And…it looks like he had a fight with someone. See, he's all bruised and cut. The cold probably slowed him down while he was fighting…whoever it was."

Leo bit his lip in concern, still crouched by Raph. Mikey watched with a worried look in the background.

"Well, the only thing we can do now is bring him back to the house." Don said. With a little difficulty, he picked up Raph, and Mikey put the jacket/blanket back on him.

Leo let his brothers go ahead of him, and looked back towards the shadowy clearing of trees where they had found Raph, as if he was expecting someone to jump out from the darkness. Shaking his head, he followed his brothers.

April sat next to Casey with her chin on her hand, staring into space. The turtles had brought Raph in, battered and freezing, about an hour ago.

They had placed him on a couch which had been moved in front of the fire, and they hadn't moved very far from him since.

Leo's head jerked up as Raph started moving around. Watching him, he turned to his brother. "Donnie?"

"I'd say he's starting to wake up." Don said.

As if on cue, Raph let out an extra loud moan, and his eyes shot open. "Ugh…what happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us, bro." Mikey said, as Casey moved off the couch to join his friends crowded around Raphael.

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck…"

"You look like it too."

"Shaddup, Casey."

"So…you really don't remember what happened?" Leo asked.

Raph blinked, trying to remember. "I was out walkin'…and…" Raph's eyes widened at the memory. "I remember now! I saw Hun and Karai, I was tailin' 'em. And then…uh…the tree branch broke, and I landed in front of Hun. I don't remember what happened after that."

Leo nodded. Good enough. "Shredder's looking for us."

Raph gave Leo a 'no duh' look. "Gee, ya really think?"

"Not now, Raph…" Leo sighed. "Look, it's late, we're all tired-"

"And cold!" Mikey added.

"-So let's just get to bed." Leo finished, looking around the room. All his brothers looked exhausted, not to mention what he looked like.

April nodded from the couch. "Guys, you all look really tired. Get some rest…"

Mikey smiled at her. "We will April. But you first."

"You guys are impossible!" April said, although she was smiling broadly. "Alright, I'm going." Smiling and shaking her head, she made her way up the stairs and disappeared into her bedroom.

"Alright, sleepover!" Casey said happily, waving an arm in the air before he was bombarded with pillows.

"Casey!" Mikey said, already curled up on the floor. "Cool it."

Casey shrugged and climbed into an armchair where he would spend the night. Don got comfortable on some blankets next to Mikey, while Leo was as close to the couch Raph was on as he could get. Within seconds, they were all sleeping deeply.

Leo's eyes twitched, and he slowly made his way into the half asleep, half awake state of mind. His eyes still closed, he frowned. He was too hot. He kicked with his legs to kick off the covers, but then realized- there were no covers. _What the shell? _

Shrugging, Leo yawned and made to turn over. _'Leo. Leo! LEO!' _Leo frowned in his sleep again. Someone was calling him? Couldn't they see he was trying to sleep? "LEO!" This time it was clear as a bell, along with someone shaking him.

Leo sighed and opened his eyes. "Okay what- oh my god." The entire front hall was engulfed in flames. Leo instinctively looked to the fireplace. The fire was still burning cheerily and safely in the grate. Leo felt the familiar sinking feeling again. Someone had set fire to the house.

Leaping to his feet, Leo realized it had been April and Casey shaking him. He looked around. His brothers were already wide-awake and on their feet. "We have to get out of here!" Don shouted to everyone else.

The front door was a no, considering the entire front hall looked as if it was about to collapse. April rushed to the back door in the kitchen and found it was locked from the outside.

"Okay…" Leo said, when April came back, frantic with the news. "Stay calm. I have an idea." Leo drew his katana, and flipped it around so he was holding it by the blade. Using the hilt of the weapon, he smashed it into the glass of the front picture window, causing it to shatter. "Everybody out!" he ordered.

Leo waited until everyone was safely outside before jumping out the window himself.

"Everybody ok-" Leo didn't get to finish his question as something smashed hard into his shell, sending him sprawling on the ground, and causing his katana to clatter a few feet away.

Leo twisted so he was back on his feet quickly. And he didn't like what he saw. "Hun!" Karai stood in the background, looking unsure.

"Hello, turtle." Hun said, cracking his knuckles for the second time that day. "We have strict orders, you know. I'm just glad we finally found you, so we can get out of this god forsaken freezing death trap!"

Leo said nothing, just narrowed his eyes and moved to get his katana.

"Oh no you don't, freak!" Hun growled, leaping in between Leo and his sword, and sending a punch towards Leo's plastron. Leo caught Hun's hand, and twisted it, letting go only when he heard the familiar sound of bone breaking.

"AAUUGH!" Hun cried, clutching his broken wrist. Leo took the opportunity to run over and grab up his katana. Once he had his weapon back, Leo leapt, sending a series of kicks to Hun's chest, making him fall onto his back.

Leo jumped onto him, and knelt on the upper part of his chest, preventing Hun from getting up. "Never. Ever. Even _think _about touching one of my brothers again." Leo growled.

Hun growled back and tried to reach up with his good hand to knock Leo off so they could continue fighting. Leo would have none of it. "This ends now." Taking his katana, Leo raised it above Hun's chest, and plunged it down.

Mikey looked away as he heard the 'whoosh' of Leo's katana slicing through the air, and Hun's last cry. He couldn't look. Mikey knew Hun was dead, but he still couldn't look. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked up to see Don. Mikey suddenly realized he was shaking- and not from the cold.

Leo stood up slowly, and grimly put his blade away before turning in Karai's direction. "That was a message for your master." He said, almost sadly. "Now get out of here."

Karai did not need to be told twice. She bowed slightly, then disappeared into the shadows.

Together, the turtles, Casey, and April watched as the house was burnt to the ground.

A/N: Oooh, intense. I scare myself sometimes. But oddly, I'm happy. Probably 'cause I finally finished this stupid chapter. Hah! Hmm…I was wondering, do you think I should bump the rating up? (right now it's the equivalent of PG-13)


	9. 9

A/N: I apologize profusely for not updating sooner…fourth quarter has been extremely busy for me. Anyway, some of you (well, actually, probably all of you) won't like this, but this is the last chapter of DWF. It was planned to be that way, and it shall stay that way. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the very last chapter of Divided We Fall.

Leo sighed and huddled farther into the corner of the back of the Battle Shell, wrapping his arms around himself as the truck bounced over the rough country terrain. His head whacked against the wall as they went over a particularly large bump.

"Casey, watch it, will you?" Leo requested, rubbing his head.

"Oh, sorry Leo…" Casey said distractedly, keeping his eyes on the road. April sat in the passenger seat next to him, arms crossed, staring out the window.

Leo rolled his eyes and settled back into his seat. He appreciated having the farmhouse as a place to retreat, but he wished it wasn't so darn far away from the city.

"Casey! You're a worse driver than Donnie!" Mikey grumbled after being thrown out of his seat for the third time, and earning an evil glare from his brother.

"Sorry guys!" Casey called into the back of the van. "It'll be smoother once we get on the highway."

Leo bit his lip and leaned more into his seat to avoid being thrown out of it like Mikey. He wondered if his brothers knew he noticed how they all stayed on the other side of the van from him.

_My brothers think I'm a psycho…_Leo mused to himself. Well, who could blame them anyway. He _had _killed a man right in front of them as if it were nothing. Leo smiled faintly at the thought of himself lying on a couch and talking to a psychiatrist.

Sighing again, he looked away from his brothers and didn't look at them again until they pulled into the garage.

"So, what do we do now?" Mikey wondered, sitting at the kitchen table with April.

"I guess that's up to Leo." Don said, coming into the kitchen.

"Why's it always up to him?" Raph asked. "He hasn't come out of his room since we came home yesterday."

"Raph, he's been through a lot-" April started.

"What, and we haven't?" Raph interrupted.

"That's not what I'm saying, Raph-"

"Sure sounds like it."

April stood up. "Well, it looks like I'm not to be able to have a conversation with you today. If it's okay with you, I'm going to go see how Casey's doing."

"Why are you asking if it's okay with me?" Raph sneered. "Why don't you go ask _Leo._"

April's mouth opened in surprise. Giving Raph a hurt look, she turned on her heel and left the room.

"That was uncalled for, Raph…" Mikey mumbled.

"Yeah, well, ever since Master Splinter died, she's been acting like Leo's the only person in this family."

"That's not true, and you know it." Don interjected. "You're looking for a reason to fight. Go take a walk, Raph."

Raph stood up, knocking over his chair in the process. He opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head and left the room.

Mikey and Don winced as they heard the front door slam hard.

"Nice day." Mikey said sarcastically.

"Eh, he's okay." Don said. "He just needs to cool off…then he'll be back to normal."

"Since when is anything normal these days…" Mikey muttered as Don left the room.

Leo sat at Don's computer, staring at the glowing screen, not even blinking.

"Uh…Leo, what are you doing?" Don asked, approaching him. Leo jumped as if he had just been woken up from a trance.

"Oh…I was just reading the news online." He said. He minimized the screen and raised his arms over his head, stretching. "I think I'm gonna go to bed." Leo left the room feeling slightly guilty. He didn't like lying to his brothers, but if he told Don what he was about to do, he wouldn't be leaving the lair for a long time.

"Leo?" Leo stopped in his tracks as Don called him back. He turned slowly. "Yeah?"

Don looked slightly upset. "Be careful."

Leo blinked. How did he know- the computer screen. Don had clicked on the minimized screen to see what Leo had been looking at. Leo sighed. "I will." He turned and went into his room.

Don went back to the computer, a clenching feeling in his stomach. Displayed on the screen Leo had been looking at was all the dates, times and places of Oroku Saki's next few speeches. Making up his mind, Don got up from the computer and went to find Mikey and Raph.

In his room, Leo made a few practice swings with his katana. He had gotten used to fighting one handed, and could even beat his brothers in sparring again.

Leo sat on his bed, looking at his feet. Finally he assumed the lotus position and began to meditate to pass the time until he was sure his brothers were asleep.

Hours later, Leo opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep while meditating. Smiling faintly, he got off his bed and opened the door a crack. The lair was completely silent. Don's computer wasn't even on.

Retrieving his katana and sliding it onto his back, Leo slipped out of the lair and into the darkness of the city.

If Leo had not been so preoccupied with the task at hand, he would have noticed three figures following him in the shadows.

Leo stood in front of a large fancy hotel, trying to figure out a way in. He couldn't just walk in the front door and request a room, for obvious reasons.

He circled the building, and found himself in a small, secluded area behind the hotel, complete with a lighted pool. Taking a step back to survey the building, Leo realized that quite a few windows had balconies that the hotel guests could go out and walk on if they wished. Leo grinned to himself. Perfect.

Leo easily made it up to the second floor, using the balconies. He found a darkened window and hoped to god the room was empty. He slid his hands under the frame of the window and slid it up, slipping inside the room. His eyes adjusted to the darkness in the room fairly quickly, and he was relieved to find the room was empty.

He slipped out into the bright hallway and frowned. Bright was never good for a ninja. He'd have to move fast. Sticking to the few shadows that were there, Leo silently made his way to the front desk.

A very bored looking heavy set woman sat behind the desk, reading a book. Leo's eyes slid over to the list posted on the wall behind her. That's what he needed. Leo located a shuriken in one of his belt pockets, and aimed it at a bowl of candy sitting on the desk, in front of the lady. He threw it with concentrated precision, and the throwing star rammed into the glass bowl, sending it flying off the desk and causing the woman to scream bloody murder.

Leo bit his lip as he waited for the right moment to move. The lady finally finished screaming, and bent to pick up the fallen candy and glass shards that decorated the floor.

_Now!_ His mind shrieked in his ear. Quick as lightning, Leo dashed over to the desk, swiped the list, and was back under cover in the course of ten seconds.

An elevator dinged, and a man and a lady got out. Leo could see there was no one else in the elevator. He dashed through the open doors, just before they closed.

Leo took the chance in the elevator to look over the paper. It read: Oroku Saki, Rm. 506. He grinned wryly to himself. _Good. _

His head snapped up as the elevator lurched to a stop. The doors slid open, and Leo thanked his lucky stars nobody had been waiting to get on the elevator. Slipping out into the loudly decorated hallway, Leo silently made his way towards room 506.

Finally making his way to the plain brown door, he listened at the crack. He heard nothing. No voices, no sleep-talk, no one walking around, no one rolling around in a bed. The room was empty. Smiling at his luck, Leo pulled out another throwing star, and within seconds had gotten the door open.

"I want a limo, fully stocked for tomorrow."

"Yes Mr. Saki. Of course."

Oroku Saki strode down the hideous hotel hallway, followed by a personal servant and Karai.

As they reached the hotel room door, Saki turned sharply to face the assistant. "See that it is done." The assistant bowed, and hurried away.

Saki slid his key card into the slot and opened the door. He was met with cold steel under his chin. "Saki."

The man couldn't help a small smirk. "So. You have come for revenge at last, Leonardo." He felt Karai move to help him, but he stopped her with a raised hand. Karai fell back, looking nonplussed. "Surely," Saki continued, "Killing a man outright is not your way. Not the _honorable_ way. Although what you did to Hun was most impressive…"

"I did what I had to." Leo said, hesitating a bit, but not taking his sword away from Saki's throat. "He was threatening my family. Like you have done."

"But you are not proud of killing Hun." Leo stiffened, and Saki knew he had hit a nerve with him. "You will cast even more dishonor on yourself if you kill me right here…" Leo said nothing, but Saki could see his hand start to tremble. "So why don't we make a deal. Take your blade away, and we will have an honorable fight. I promise Karai will not step in."

Leo considered. Very slowly, he lowered his blade. "Fool." Saki sneered, before whipping out his tanto and advancing on Leo.

Leo quickly got his katana back up again, and circled Saki. "I knew I couldn't trust you." Leo said quietly. Not wanting to hesitate any longer, Leo jumped his enemy, katana drawn. He attacked aggressively and quickly, but Saki blocked and dodged just as effectively. Leo cast out a kick, knocking Saki onto the ground. Before Leo could advance again though, Saki was on his feet and running towards the emergency stairs…which lead to the roof. Leo shook his head. Idiot. He began to follow, but a hand on his plastron held him back. Karai.

"Leonardo, please let him be!" she begged.

"No." Leo said firmly. "He is tearing my family apart, Karai. I can't just let him go. He _killed _Master Splinter."

Karai looked surprised at this news. "He…did? But…he said that he only wanted the turtles…" Taking advantage of Karai's hesitation, Leo pushed past her and ran after Saki, who now had quite a head start on him.

Running up the stairs three at a time, Leo burst out the emergency hatch that lead to the roof. It had started to rain again, and he could hardly see anything. Squinting, he caught sight of a shadow moving near the edge. Leo growled. Shredder.

Rain pelted Leonardo's body and slid down his shell. With a short growl, he pulled out his katana, and raised it to a battle position. "You will pay for what you have done." The wind carried his voice away, but the hate that graced his features could be seen from outer space.

With a battle cry, Leo ran at the Shredder, katana raised above his head. Saki looked surprised, and before he could move, Leo had rammed into him as hard as he could, sending him over the edge with a scream.

Breathing hard, Leo looked over the edge where the Shredder had plummeted to the sidewalk. "Leo." A soft voice hissed in his ear. Leo whipped around, ready for anything.

His brothers stood together, heads bowed against the rain. "We saw him go over." Don said. Mike and Raph nodded.

"I don't think we've seen the last of him…" Leo said, looking over the edge uncertainly.

"Probably not." Mikey said, clapping Leo on the shoulder. "But if we have, I say bon voyage!"

"Come on, let's go home." Raph said, throwing his arm around Leo's shoulder as well. "Mikey made cookies just before ya left."

Leo nodded. He let his brothers go before him. He glanced back at the place where Shredder had fallen. Whether they truly had not seen the last of him or not, Leo decided to put it out of his mind. He had family and cookies waiting for him at home.

He was, after all, a teenager.

**The End**

A/N: Aww, it's over…I have this weird feeling…like when you send your kid to school the first time or something. Ah well. I am a writer, and so, I have about six billion ideas buzzing around in my puny little brain. So read, review, and I hope you enjoyed the story.

P.s.: Mikey was listening to Kokomo. Kudos to those who got it right.


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